H&K USP CO2 BB pistol – Part 1

Here is another BB pistol that copies a firearm design, only this one is branded by the manufacturer. The H&K USP BB pistol is a BB-caliber version of the firearm–not just a copy. That means if you collect H&K pistols, this one belongs in your collection.

First, I want to set the record straight. The gun says “cal. 4.5mm (.177)” on the left side of the slide and again on the magazine. That is incorrect. This is not a 4.5mm pistol–it’s a BB pistol and BB is a caliber in its own right. If you measure it, it’s 4.3mm, which is .173 caliber, but BB is the correct term for this caliber.

The problem is people unfamiliar with these guns will see 4.5mm and may mistakenly try to load it with pellets. Clerks at stores will be equally confused by the markings and may direct customers to the wrong ammunition. These markings need to be clarified to avoid this confusion. This is a BB gun, pure and simple.

General descriptionThis is a CO2-powered pistol that fires in the double-action-only mode. As a quick review, DAO means that the trigger cocks the hammer before firing. The slide doesn’t do it, so the trigger pull is always equally hard. Many U.S. law enforcement agencies favor DAO actions because they feel they offer added safety, since the trigger is so hard to pull. So, this BB pistol is actually a USP model with the LEM (Law Enforcement Modification), which is the DAO trigger.

This is another heavy BB pistol, so if realism is your game, this one’s for you. Loaded with a CO2 cartridge but no BBs, the gun weighs 1.963 lbs. (1 lb., 15.4 oz.) or 890 grams, making it heavier than any variant of the H&K firearm it copies. Like the USP firearm, the BB pistol has a synthetic frame.

The magazine, which also contains the CO2 cartridge, does not drop free. You must press down on the release located at the rear of the triggerguard and pull out the bottom of the mag at the same time. The magazine holds 22 steel BBs. A speedloader comes packed with the gun, so loading isn’t hard. Simply pull down on the follower at the front of the magazine and install the speedloader over the top of the mag. It simultaneously holds the follower down and offers a funnel for the BBs.

The Mag holds both the CO2 cartridge and the BBs. The cartridge is held in by a large synthetic plug.

Speedloader fits over the magazine, providing a funnel for the BBs. Mag holds 22.

No blowbackThis is an important feature that customers want to know about. This pistol doesn’t have blowback. It makes good sense not to in this case, because with DAO operation, a slide that blows back isn’t doing much more than faking recoil.

The sights are non-adjustable combat sights. The front has a single white dot and the rear has two dots. Line them up horizontally on the target and put the front dot on what you expect to hit.

Besides the magazine release, the safety switch on the left rear of the pistol is the only other control that works as designed.

Safety switch is at the left rear of the slide. It can be worked by the thumb of the firing hand.

This is supposed to be a fairly fast BB gun–in the 360 f.p.s. range. That seems to be what a lot of shooters are looking for, so we shall see what this one really has to offer.

Nice-looking pistol. I'm a fan of the actual firearm for passing the stringent tests of the U.S. special forces. Apparently the big Mark 23 or whatever it's called for all of its accuracy and reliability has been something of a bust since the special forces don't have a need for a large pistol. However, the mechanism must be good.

Derrick, one wonders if the companies could ramp up production to take advantage of the extra demand. No word yet on the IZH 61. Mike needs to get his glasses repaired to conduct shooting tests. Thanks for the offer of loaning me an IZH 61. As a matter of fact, I'm in serious withdrawal now. However, I will decline. I have plenty of other guns to shoot that don't get enough of my time. In particular, my pistol shooting seems to have taken a nose dive and needs some attention.

Not too many comments today so I was hoping for an answer to a possible stupid question. On a Benjamin Discovery, I know it is safe to store it charged with air BUT is it o.k. to leave it cocked and loaded without hurting anything internal ?? Any time frame on how long I could leave it this way ??

DavidI leave my Disco with a pellet in the chamber and full of air. I just pull the bolt back and pull the trigger while "riding"the bolt forward to decock it. That way when the midnight marauders arrive, I don't have to fumble with loading a pellet in the dark.

Okay, I expect to become the 'leftwing nut' of the website…but with accidental shootings accounting for 30% of firearm deaths in the US…the vast majority of which are from firearms stored loaded…it's no wonder 'they' want to take our guns away.CowBoyStar Dad

On the other hand, I don't want to have to load my gun while someone is trying to break into my house. Tom & I have our carry licenses, and I don't want to have to load my gun if I'm trapped somewhere while I'm out. Sometimes, that extra advanced preparation can save your life.

I hope I'm never in a situation where I will even have to think about drawing a weapon, but I'd rather be prepared if it happens. Of course, we have no children to worry about in our household, so that's one less thing we have to consider.

The 30% (okay, in actuallity 27%) is from the CDC (Centre for Disease Control), whom, from what I've read in Canada are fairly reliable.This is a touch subject for my. A few years back a young nephew of mine (9 at the time) was visiting a friend who wanted to show him his dad's rifle.A loaded rifle that ended up killing my nephew. I know it's a touch subject in the US. I'm from Canada where the law is that weapons and ammo must be stored separately when unattended.Though I can respect your thinking on the issue…if a child died in my house because they found a loaded weapon I'm not sure I'd ever shoot again.I'll leave it at that…and not respond to any other responses as I don't wish to create ill feelings on this wonderful blog.Let's just chalk it up to one of the many differences between our countries…one no more right than the other.CowBoyStar Dad

As to the CDC numbers, their reporting mechanism is easy to misread. According to the numbers at [http://webapp.cdc.gov/cgi-bin/broker.exe], for the year 2006, there were 30,896 firearms deaths, of which 642 where unintentional. So, the true percentage of all firearm related deaths that are accidental would be (642/30896*100) = 2.1%, which is close to Vince's 3% recollection. The misundertanding could be that the CDC lists something that they call the 'Crude Rate' without giving any indication of what that means. It's easy to assume it's the rate of unintentional deaths that are unintentional, but that's not actually the case, as you can see if you do the math yourself.

I could have been a bit clearer, since I have young children those were the stats I was concerned about.See: http://www.futureofchildren.org/faq2864/faq_show.htm?doc_id=116926About 1/2 way down the page they quote CDC stats saying 27% of children UNDER 12 who die of firearm deaths are accidental.And that's the problem as I see it. Unless you can guarantee there will never be children unattended in your home, storing accessible, loaded firearms is a no-no in my mind.CowBoyStar Dad

Oops, the link that I posted to the CDC site doesn't actually work unless you get there by way of the link that Vince posted. Mea Culpa.

CowboyStarDad, you know the older that I get, the less tolerance I have for government telling me how to run my home. Now, I personally keep my ammo and guns separate when unattended as a prudent safety measure given that I havetwo children under the age of ten (who *will* get into everything). So, on the surface, I don't think that it's a bad idea to do that; however, the idea that some beauracrat would *make* me do it just twitches a nerve somewhere deep in my psyche.

I believe I told this story some time ago. I had a dear friend who delighted in taking cross country trips with his wife and his young daughter who is a downs child, in his VW Microbus Camper. He told the story that at a campground one day, he observed two individuals who he did not like the looks of, approaching his VW from opposite sides. He stepped out of the camper with his lever action Winchester but was so hopped up on adrenaline, he couldn't get a round loaded into it, he was shaking so much. The two guys saw the rifle, he said, stopped dead in their tracks and walked away quickly. Wally told me he'd never have an unloaded gun he needed to use for protection, on hand again. I think a situation like this would affect everyone the same so be aware.

Wally was my fencing coach in college, got me interested in guns and has his name on a trophy somewhere in Montreal as the East Coast Fencing Champion back in the early 50's. He was quite some guy. He also earned his living back in the 20's and 30's as a professional motorcycle racer for Indian. I still miss him to this day.

Anyway, the last thing anyone ever wants to happen is have a loaded firearm end up in the hands of a child or anyone who's not familiar with them. One needs to weigh all the options and take whatever precautions are needed while still keeping in mind the requirements for self-defense, if one feels the need.

Hey, I'm going to be in Baltimore next Friday for my daughter's orientation at U of MD and I was wondering what was the name of that store that sold air guns that BB used to go to? Kevin, please accept my apology for not first doing a search….

Ah, restricting it to 12 and under does change the numbers a good bit. Let's see, for 2006, it's 217 total with 39 being unintentional, which results in 18% of all firearms deaths for children 12 and under being unintentional. Close enough to 27% for government work as they say.

Numbers are curious things. Just as a goof, I ran the number of children (12 and under) who drowned, and came out with 703. Over 3 times as many as died by firearm.

When talking policy, it's good to keep a perspective because you're dealing with such a large population — approximately 54 million children 12 and under — that even the noise is going to be a lot. Think of it this way, if you made every child in America drink a nice, healthy glass of cow's milk before school each day, there are some who would die because they are allergic to it. Peruse the infant formula aisle in your local supermarket and notice how much soy based formula is sold … gobs and gobs of it. Again, perspective is key, especially when dealing with large numbers (and a politically hot subject!)

Having a loaded gun in the home is an often debated subject. I'm not going to delve into the CDC numbers or percentages since one preventable accidental death of a child by firearm or any other means is tragic.

I have a swimming pool, hot tub, stairs, cars and numerous other potentially dangerous things on my property that could harm or even kill kids.

With potentially dangerous items comes the responsibility to educate kids about what is allowed and what will not be tolerated on your property. Supervision is key with these laws/rules on our property.

I grew up with loaded firearms in our home and I have loaded firearms in my home now. Since our daughter came along the guns are locked up. They're locked up not because of my child but because of her friends.

Many people don't teach gun safety to their kids. Whether or not you own a gun, gun safety needs to be taught. The two most important things that my 6 year old daughter can recite is:

1-If you see a gun that isn't locked up and there isn't a grown up in the room…LEAVE and tell a grown up immediately.

2-Never touch a gun unless a grown up is with you. If another kid is touching a gun LEAVE and tell a grown up immediately.

Every time I handle a gun and she's nearby I ask her the two most important things about guns and have her recite the rules.

Gun safety and respect for guns was drilled into me ever since I can remember. This needs to be universal with all kids (and many adults) whether there's a loaded gun, unloaded gun or no gun in the house.

UW Hunter , Thank you for the tip on leaving the pellet in the disco by riding the bolt forward and pulling the trigger. This will help with dispatching tree rats a little quicker when I see one. To others that were worried about me leaving the rifle cocked and loaded while unattended that is NOT the case. I was simply asking about leaving the rifle cocked and loaded while hunting only. It is always stored properly. On the other hand and I know this is a TOUCHY subject with some people…. I do keep my .357 loaded in the house for protection and my wife is all for it. What good would it do for protection if I had to tell an intruder to… " WAIT , I have to find my ammo and load before I can protect my family " !!!

For children 12 and under the total firearms deaths are listed as 217. Unintentional deaths are listed as 39. That's just about 18%. And lets not forget that some of these are going to be unrelated to storing a firearm loaded – hunting or target shooting accidents or 'I was cleaning the gun and it went off' type of accidents.

Total deaths in this age category account for well under 1% of all firearms deaths.

I'm not trying to mitigate the significance of your loss, but a lot of bad law has been passed because of doctored statistics or because too much attention has been paid to exceptions rather than the rule.

In any event, the point you're trying to make has to be balanced against another statistic – how many times a year does a homeowner prevent harm coming to his or her family because they had a loaded firearm readily accessible? And how many children have been likely saved from harm?

According to some quick figures I pulled of from the Dept of Justice, firearms are used in self-defense on the order of 80,000 times a year. Some fraction of those are home defense, I couldn't find those numbers quickly. But it's not unreasonable to surmise that a child might have been protected by a firearm stored loaded more than 39 times out of that 80,000.

Don't take my word for anything. I haven't shopped for a comb riser in years but do have a beartooth on an old shotgun. Also have a leather laced comb riser on another gun and can't find a manufacturers name on it anywhere.

There may be taller ones out there than the beartooth but they have some big/tall inserts. Good luck.

Kiwi,Really sounds like a parallax problem. I don't even touch the stock on my .22 from a rest, and the only time I have a problem is when the parallax is off. If the crosshairs move around at all when you change eye positions, the parallax isn't right. Did you try the test/adjustment procedure I suggested the other night or the one here:http://ateam.100free.com/ateamh/A_Team_Parallax_adj.htm?

Kiwihere's the redneck riser solution:)Get some of those cup cozies,can coolersbeer huggers or whatever they are calledin your area.the shaped foam rubber holders that you fit a drink into tokeep it cold.cut out the bottoms andsplit down one side.place them one at a timeover your stock and measure how many you will need to make the fit.after you have the right number super glue them togetherand cut the ends that hang down the sideof the stock at an angle so they get thinner toward the bottom.It doesn'thave to be pretty just comfy. Now place them on the stock and cover with apiece of leather that is long enoughto meet at the bottom and stitch itwith a leather shoe lace.now you have a nice lookin removeable cheek riser:)if you use "raw" leather it can bedyed to suit your taste.Oh yeaha bit of string or tape might help tohold the foam in place while you fit the leather.I've also used this foamto swell out the forearm on my 1377.several people have asked me when didTSC start selling AG's:)cause it'sPINK with the Tractor Supply Co.logoand I left it that way for chuckles.

Great review. Seriously, the best review I've seen on the internet thus far without a doubt.

I am patiently awaiting for this bb gun for my birthday and you just answered any questions/concerns I would ever have, and you probably also saved me a whole lot of trouble, thank you again for the complete and concise review.

I actually chose this pistol because I have no form of self-defense, no guns, or anything in my house, and with the way things have been going in America lately, I can sleep a little better at night with something ready to go…although I know bbs will never stop bullets, its better than nothing at all…thank you again.

If you are not going to get a real firearm for home defense, for safety's sake I would get a Louisville slugger instead. A BB gun is not going to cut it.

I realize your intent is probably to scare them off with a very realistic appearing gun, but you should never point a gun at or shoot anything you do not intend to kill. You may cause a home invader some pain, maybe even shoot an eye out if you're lucky, but it will likely only infuriate an intruder.

Get the BB gun of course, just use it for fun. For home defense, get a shotgun first or a baseball bat.

what Slinging Lead is telling you is very good advice. Ever hear the saying, "never bring a knife to a gun fight"? Get the pistol, have fun with it. There are even more powerful pcp hand guns coming out this year (Crosman) but these are NOT FOR SELF DEFENSE.

One other thing. Very few of us monitor these older blogs and comments. I and SL are part of a core of volunteers that do and advise folks to post their comments, even off-topic, to the current blog comment section. You will generate much more comments and information.

HELLO FRIEND, MY NAME IS SERGIO TODESCHI, I AM FROM BRAZIL, I LIVE IN CURITIBA, I need the HK USP COMB'S BECAUSE OF PRESSURE VALVE IS DEFECTIVE, YOU KNOW WHERE CAN I FIND TO BUY. THANK YOU IF POSSIBLE ANSWER ME BY EMAILSERGIOTODESCHI@HOTMAIL.COM

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